May Monthly Sermon 2012

God the Parent, we are grateful for Your constant protection and gradual instruction that guides us on the path to spiritual growth. We are all striving for the sake of single-hearted salvation while leaning on the ever-living Oyasama.

Today, for this May monthly service at Pearl Church, we celebrate Mother’s Day and we give thanks to our mothers and Oyasama who has the soul of the first mother of all human beings. We thank them for their love and nurturing. The service performers will now unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously and in high spirits. Please accept our prayers as we brothers and sisters of this Path have looked forward to this day and have gathered before You to sing the Mikagura-uta.

Through your blessing, two persons from Pearl Church returned to Jiba for Oyasama’s Birthday Service this past April. Also ten persons from Pearl Church attended the Boy’s and Girl’s Association Oyasama Birthday Activity at mission headquarters on April 15th. Also due to the members sincere efforts twenty-six persons from Pearl Church attended the All Tenrikyo Hinokishin Day at Honolulu Zoo on April 28. We thank you deeply for these blessings as we strive to convey the teachings to as many people as possible.

Also this month marks five years since we purchased the 15-passenger van which has proven to be a valuable asset in our salvation work. On a weekly basis the van is being used for yard work in the community and for transporting people to the Mission Headquarters and other locations for church activities.

We vow to continue to work together engaging in hinokishin and salvation work with a unity of mind and encourage as much people as possible to return to Jiba. We pray for the victims and survivors of conflicts and disasters around the world; that they may have faith and resolve to overcome their grief and suffering.

With the Shinbashira as the core we vow to make sincere efforts in our daily lives to truly follow the Divine Model of Oyasama.

We pray that Your guidance will strengthen us into worthy Yoboku, striving with a single heart for the salvation of others. We hope that our efforts will bring joy to You and peace in this world where we all help one another as brothers and sisters. With our minds in unity towards the Truth of the Jiba, we would like to spiritedly perform the May Monthly Service today, held in this 175th Year of Tenrikyo.